Democratic skip

ABSTRACT

Systems, device and techniques are disclosed for performing a media action such as a democratic skip action based on input from one or more users that are part of a media group. One or more users within a media group may provide preference indicators (e.g., skip, keep, null) and, upon reaching a threshold number of preference indicators, a media action (e.g., skip song) may be taken. The preference indicators may be weighed based on one or more factors such as a user or media item.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, users are provided access to media based on a userjoining a virtual media room (e.g., via a program that enables the userto be exposed to media based on accessing the virtual media room). As anexample, a user may activate an application on her mobile phone andselect a virtual media room. As a result of the selection, the user maybe provided with a media item (e.g., a song) and the user may choose tocontinue listening to the media item or may skip or fast forward themedia item. However, such access to media does not enable one or moreusers to listen to media content in a group setting nor does it allowusers to share media items amongst a group.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, multipleusers may be identified as being associated with a first media group andmedia content may be provided to the multiple users that are associatedwith the first group. The multiple users within the media group may beprovided the same media content at the same time. A preference indicatormay be received from at least one of the multiple users and adetermination that the received preference indicator meets a preferenceindicator threshold may be made. A preference indicator may be a skip, akeep, a null indicator, an intensity associated with the media content,or the like. A media action may be performed based on the determinationthat the preference indicator threshold has been met. The preferenceindicator threshold may be generated based on media content type, asponsorship factor, a geographic location (e.g., for a user, a group ofusers, a location associated with the media content, etc.), or the like.A preference indicator weight may be applied to a preference indicatorand may be based on a user type, a user history, a user role, a userrank, or the like. One or more users may be designated as a nominateduser and the media action may be performed based on or influenced by anaction by the nominated user.

Systems and techniques according to the present disclosure enableperforming a media action based on a threshold amount of preferenceindicators. Additional features, advantages, and implementations of thedisclosed subject matter may be set forth or apparent from considerationof the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover,it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary and the followingdetailed description include examples and are intended to providefurther explanation without limiting the scope of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter, are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings also illustrateimplementations of the disclosed subject matter and together with thedetailed description serve to explain the principles of implementationsof the disclosed subject matter. No attempt is made to show structuraldetails in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamentalunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter and various ways in whichit may be practiced.

FIG. 1 shows a computer according to an implementation of the disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 2 shows a network configuration according to an implementation ofthe disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3 shows an example process for performing a media action, accordingto an implementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 shows an example illustration of users in a media group,according to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 5a shows an example illustration of preference indicators,according to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 5b shows another example illustration of preference indicators,according to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques disclosed herein may enable users to participate in a mediagroup such that they may be exposed to the same media whileparticipating in the media group. Multiple users may access a mediagroup using their respective electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones,computers, laptops, tablets, etc.) and/or software (e.g., web browsers,websites, applications, operating system, software, etc.). Whileparticipating in the media group, the users may be exposed to the samemedia (e.g., music, videos, text, etc.). As an example, all the usersthat are in a media group for alternative rock music may be provided thesong Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, via their respectiveelectronic devices. According to techniques disclosed herein, the usersmay be provided with an interface that allows them to provide apreference indicator (e.g., skip, keep, null action). When a thresholdnumber of preference indicators are detected, a media action may beperformed (e.g., skip content, keep content, etc.). Continuing theprevious example, if the threshold is 5, then if 6 users opt for thesong Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to be skipped, thesong may be skipped and a different song may be provided to the users ofthe media group.

As disclosed herein, a user may be any individual or an account ownerthat is capable of accessing a media group via a software or anapplication. As an example of an individual, a user may have an accountwith a media group application and access that application via theuser's mobile phone. Once in the application, the user may automaticallybe a part of a media group or may select a media group to join. As anexample of an account owner, a café may contain an electronic deviceconfigured to access a media group software. The café may be operated bymultiple individuals and the multiple individuals may be exposed to themedia items that are provide via the media group.

As disclosed herein, a media group may be any virtual space that two ormore users can access at the same time. A media group may not be aspecific storage or server but rather may be simply be a common pointvia which multiple users can access the same media content. As anexample, a media group may be the connection between two users such thatthe connection enables the two users to be provided by the same media atthe same time. Here, the two users may be provided the same media suchthat both users are provided the media in a manner that neither user canopt to be provided with media different than the other user. It will beunderstood that although two or more users are provided with media via amedia group, individual users may be exposed to the media at slightlydifferent times due to transactional factor such as an internetconnection speed, latency, hardware capabilities, software capabilities,location, or the like. As an example, a user A and a user B may be partof the same media group and may be provided a song S at the same time.The song may be output from the speakers of user A's device a secondfaster than that of the speaker of user B's device due to user B'sslower internet connection. As another example, a user A and a user Bmay access the same playlist (media group in this example) at the sametime such that the playlist provides the same content to both user A andB at the same time.

As disclosed herein, content may refer to any applicable content such asentertainment content, educational content, news content, financialcontent, sporting content, food content, travel content, or the like.The content may be provided in any media form such as audio, video,text, or the like. As an example, a media group may provide users thatare part of the media group with video clips.

As disclosed herein, a preference indicator may be any indicatorprovided by a user. A preference indicator may be provided via a user'selectronic device and, further, may be provided via an input device inconnection with the electronic device. Some examples of electronicdevices and input devices include a mobile phone, a laptop, a desktop, atablet, a speaker, a television, a keyboard, a touchpad, a mouse, a hardbutton, a soft button, etc. A preference indicator may indicate thepreference of a user towards a media item. For example, a user mayprovide a preference indicator that indicates that the user is in favorof a currently provided media item. Alternatively, for example, a usermay provide a preference indicator that indicates that the user is notin favor of a currently provided media item. Alternatively, for example,a user may provide a preference indicator that indicates the level ofpreference (e.g., positive or negative) towards a currently providedmedia item.

As disclosed herein, a media action may be an action associated withmedia content and may be taken for media provided via a media group. Amedia action may be a skip, a keep, a modify metadata, an add toplaylist, a remove from playlist or the like. A skip may correspond to amedia item being currently provided to users of the media group to beskipped such that media is either ceased from being provided to theusers or a different media item is provided to the users. For example,users of a media group may be provided a song T and, based on athreshold number of preference indicators (e.g., skips) being received,the song T may be stopped from playing and a song U may begin beingprovided via the media group. A keep may correspond to a media itembeing currently provided to continue being provided to the users of amedia group. A modify metadata may correspond to a change in metadatabeing made as a result of one or more preference indicator. As anexample, a song V may be provided to users of a media group and a user Amay provide a skip preference indicator. Based on the skip preferenceindicator provided by user A, the ranking of the song V may be decreasedsuch that, for example, the song V may be less likely to be provided tousers of media groups in the future. An add to playlist may correspondto a media item being added to a playlist as a result of one or morepreference indicators. As an example, a song W may be provided to usersof a media group and a user B may provide a keep preference indicator.Based on the keep preference indicator provided by user B, the song Wmay be added to a preferred playlist for the users of the media group. Aremove from playlist may correspond to a media item being removed to aplaylist as a result of one or more preference indicators. As anexample, a song X may be provided to users of a media group and the songX may be part of a preferred playlist for that media group. A user C mayprovide a skip preference indicator. Based on the skip preferenceindicator provided by user C, the song X may be removed from thepreferred playlist.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, as shownat step 310 in FIG. 3, multiple users may be identified as beingassociated with a media group. Users may join media groups to be exposedto media content jointly with one or more other users or to be exposedto media content that they may not be aware of. A user may select amedia group to join based on the attributes associated with that mediagroup such as the genre of media provided via the media group, theartists, groups, or albums associated with the media group, other usersassociated with the media group (e.g., other users with similar tastesas a user, etc.), or the like. Association with a media group may be anyapplicable indication that a user has joined the media group. Someexamples of such indications can include a user signing up for the mediagroup, a user selecting a media group to access the media group, a userinitializing an application or software, receiving a payment from a useraccount (for access to a media group), receiving an access token,receiving an encrypted message, or the like. As an example, a user mayselect a desired media group, via a media group interface, by directingan input device towards an icon for the media group and selecting theicon. The selection of the icon may be an indication of the user'saccess to the media group. As another example a media group manager(e.g., a human manager or a software manager) may periodically pingusers of a media group application. The pinging may enable the softwareto detect tokens associated with the users. A token may containinformation regarding which media group the user belongs to.Accordingly, based on the token, the user may be associated with a mediagroup.

In an illustrative example, as shown in FIG. 4, multiple users may beassociated with a media group 400 by selecting the media group 400 usingtheir respective electronic devices. The users 420, 422, 424, 425, 427,and 428 may each activate an application on their respective electronicdevices and select the media group 400. The users may be associated withthe media group such that, as shown, when the media group provides thesong Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, each of the user devices aredesignated to receive the song. It will be understood that the users420, 422, 424, 425, 427, and 428 may be located in the same or differentphysical locations and may access the media group 400 via respectivenetwork connections.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, as shownat step 320 in FIG. 3, a media content may be provided to the multipleusers associated with the media group. As disclosed herein, the mediacontent may be any applicable content such as entertainment content,educational content, news content, financial content, sporting content,food content, travel content, or the like. The content may be providedin any media form such as audio, video, text, or the like. As anexample, the users associated with a media group may be provided a songvia the media group. The song may be provided to the user's respectiveelectronic devices such that the users may be exposed to the song viaany applicable output component such as speakers or headphones. Themedia content may be provided via the media group using a wired orwireless connection. A wired connection may include an Ethernetconnection to a network such that the media content is transferred froma server, storage, or database to the user's electronic device via theEthernet connection. A wireless connection may be any non-wiredconnection via a format such as a Wi-Fi connection, a Bluetoothconnection, a radio-frequency connection, an infra-red connection, anear field communication connection, or the like. By joining a mediagroup, a user's electronic device may establish a portal to a mediaserver, storage, or database such that the media content is provided tothe user's electronic device via that portal. According to animplementation, a media group may provide a playlist of media contentsuch that items on the playlist are provided to the users in sequentialorder. Alternatively, media content may be selected to be provided to auser organically, based on the user response to previously played mediaitems or based on a media content determination algorithm.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, as shownat step 330 in FIG. 3, a preference indicator may be received from atleast one of the multiple users associated with the media group. Asdisclosed herein, a preference indicator may be any indicator providedby a user and may indicate the preference of a user towards a mediaitem. Some examples of preference indicators include a skip indicator, akeep indicator, a null indicator (e.g., no preference) an intensityindicator (e.g., the level of like (positive) or dislike (negative) fora media item), or the like. It will be understood that although termssuch as skip, keep, intensity, and the like are used herein, thedisclosed system and/or techniques may be implemented using anyindicators that correspond to a user preference. Users may providepreference indicators as, by providing the preference indicators, theusers may influence the media that is provided via the media group, asdisclosed further herein. The preference indicator may be provided by auser via the user interacting with an electronic device. As an example,a user may select a soft button ‘keep’ on her mobile phone to provide akeep indicator. A user may provide an indicator at any point includingduring when media content is provided via the media group, prior tomedia content being provided via the media group, or after media contentis provided via the media group. According to an implementation, a usermay provide preference indicators for media items when the user is notparticipating in a media group (e.g., via the user's own media library,via an interface provided via the media group software, etc.). Apreference indicator may correspond to a Boolean value (e.g., 0 or 1),may be a numerical representation (e.g., integer, decimal, etc.), or thelike, and may be weighted, as disclosed herein.

As an illustrative example, as shown in FIG. 5a , a user may access amedia group 80s Room 510 via a user device 500. The user may be providedwith the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson via the media group. Whilethe user is provided the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, the usermay be able to provide a preference indicator by selecting the skipbutton 520, the keep button 530, or making no selection (e.g., a nullindicator). The song may continue to be provided to the user after theuser provides the preference indicator or, alternatively, the providingthe preference indicator may cause a threshold to be met, as disclosedherein, and a media action may be taken accordingly. According to animplementation, a user may have the opportunity to modify a providedpreference indicator.

As another illustrative example, as shown in FIG. 5b , a user may accessa media group 80s Room 511 via a user device 501. The user may beprovided with the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson via the mediagroup. While the user is provided the song Billie Jean by MichaelJackson, the user may be able to provide an intensity preferenceindicator by selecting a point on the media rank bar 550, or making noselection (e.g., a null indicator). The user may select a point on themedia rank bar such that a point that is further right on the bar mayindicate a higher affinity for the song, a point that is further left onthe bar may indicate a higher dislike of the song, and the center of thebar may represent indifference towards the song. The song may continueto be provided to the user after the user provides the preferenceindicator or, alternatively, the providing the preference indicator maycause a threshold to be met, as disclosed herein, and a media action maybe taken accordingly. Here, an intensity selection towards the rightedge of the bar may correspond to a higher value for the preferenceindicator whereas an intensity selection to the right of the bar butcloser to the center point may correspond to a lower value for thepreference indicator.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, as shownat step 340 in FIG. 3, a determination may be made whether a receivedpreference indicator meets a preference indicator threshold. Apreference indicator threshold may be a threshold that, when met,triggers a media action (e.g., skip a song), as disclosed herein.Preference indicators may count towards a threshold by adding up thepreference indicators for each type of preference indicator. As anexample, 4 skips and 2 keeps may be received for a media item. The countfor the skips may be maintained at 4 and for the keeps may be maintainedat 2 such that if 1 more skip is received and the threshold is 5, themedia item may be skipped. Alternatively, preference indicators may bebalanced with each other. As an example, 4 skips and 2 keeps may bereceived for a media item. The count for the media item may be 2 skips(4 skips less 2 keeps) such that only one preference indictor value ismaintained. Here, if the threshold is 5, then 3 more skips and no morekeeps may be required to skip the media item.

A preference indicator threshold may be generated based on a mediacontent type. The preference indicator threshold may be based on theform of the media content (e.g., audio, video, text), based on acategory of the media content (e.g., entertainment, educational, news,financial, travel, food, spiritual, etc.), based on a specific mediacontent (e.g., a specific song), the duration of media content, theauthor, artist, developer, or person or entity associated with the mediacontent (e.g., a record label associated with a song), or the like.Accordingly, different media content may have different preferenceindicator thresholds associated with them.

A preference indicator threshold may be generated based on a sponsorshipfactor. A sponsorship factor may include a financial association with amedia content (e.g., if a record label provides the media without alicensing fee), a partner, a promotion, or the like.

A preference indicator threshold may be generated based on a mediacontent history. The media content history may correspond to attributesof media content such as the age of the media content (e.g., how long asong has been released for), the popularity of a media content, previouspreference indicators within the media group received for the mediacontent, or the like. As an example, a media group may be configured topromote new media such that the threshold for media content that isreleased within the previous month is higher than that of media contentthat is released prior to the previous month. This arrangement mayenable users of the media group to gain more exposure to new mediacontent and enable more of the users within the media group to providepreference indicators for the new media content. As another example, amedia group may be configured to promote established media (e.g.,previously popular media content for the media group) such that thethreshold for media content that is more established is higher and thethreshold for media content that is less established is lower. Thisarrangement may require a higher number of preference indicators tomodify the established nature of media content. d

A preference indicator threshold may be generated based on ageographical location. The geographical location may correspond to oneor more users, the origination or association of media content (e.g.,where a song originated from), or the like. As an example, if the mediagroup contains users located in the United States, a first threshold maybe applied whereas if a media group contains users located in Japan, asecond threshold may be applied.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, as shownat step 350 in FIG. 3, a media action may be performed based on adetermination that a preference indicator threshold has been met. Asdisclosed herein, a media action may be an action associated with mediacontent and may be taken for media provided via a media group. A mediaaction may be a skip, a keep, a modify metadata, an add to playlist, aremove from playlist or the like. It will be understood that althoughterms such as skip, keep, null intensity, and the like are used herein,the disclosed system and/or techniques may be implemented using anyindicators that correspond to a user preference. The media action may beperformed automatically after the threshold is met or may be performedafter a predetermined or dynamically determined time period. Forexample, if a media item is provided to users of a media group and askip threshold is met, the media content may not be skipped until afterthe first 20 seconds of the media content have elapsed.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, a user maybe associated with a user type. A user type may be a host, a guest, atastemaker, an active user, a passive user, or the like. A host maycorrespond to the first user that accessed a media group or a user thatinitiated the media group. As an example, a user may detect the absenceof 90s classical hip-hop media groups and may opt to initiate a mediagroup for 90s classical hip-hop. A guest may be any other user than ahost user. A tastemaker may be a user that is associated with morepopular media content than other users. As an example, media contentprovided by media groups may be selected from the media content in medialibraries of the users (e.g., personal music library on a user's mobilephone) within the media group. A tastemaker may be a user whose mediacontent receives positive or affirmative preference indicators. Anactive user may be a user that participates in one or more media groupsmore than one or more other users (e.g., provides preference indicatorsthat are not null indicators). A passive user may be a user that doesnot participate in one or more media groups when compared to one or moreother users (e.g., constantly provides null indicators).

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, a usernomination may be received for a user (herein, nominated user). Thenomination may be a result of a vote by one or more other users, anomination by the media group, a nomination by a programmer ordeveloper, a nomination by a host, or the like. A nominated user may bemore influential in a media group than one or more other users such thata preference indicator provided by the nominated user may be the solecontributor to a media action (e.g., the preference indicator mayautomatically meet the preference indicator threshold) or may beweighted higher than one or more other users.

According to implementations of the disclosed subject matter, apreference indicator weight may be applied to a preference indicatorassociated with a user. The preference indicator weight may bedetermined based on whether the user is a nominated user or based on auser type. As an example, the preference indicator weight associatedwith an active user may be lower than that of a passive user. Here, apreference indicator by a passive user may be weighed higher as thepassive user may tend to provide preference indicators for media thatthe passive user feels more strongly about. A preference indicatorweight may be applied to a preference indicator in any applicable mannersuch as, for example, multiplying a preference indicator by thepreference indicator weight. Continuing the previous example, thepreference indicator weight for the active user may be 0.8 and thepreference weight for the passive user may be 1.2. A preferenceindicator (1) received by the active user may be multiplied by (0.8),resulting in a preference indicator of 0.8. Similarly, a preferenceindicator (1) received by the passive user may be multiplied by (1.2),resulting in a preference indicator of 1.2.

Implementations of the presently disclosed subject matter may beimplemented in and used with a variety of component and networkarchitectures (e.g., online media groups). FIG. 1 is an example computer20 (e.g., a mobile device, computer, laptop, etc.) suitable forimplementing implementations of the presently disclosed subject matter.Alternatively, any device disclosed herein configured to electronicallytransport, generate, or modify data or information may utilize acomputer. The computer (e.g., microcomputer) 20 includes a bus 21 whichinterconnects major components of the computer 20, such as a centralprocessor 24, a memory 27 (typically RAM, but which may also includeROM, flash RAM, or the like), an input/output controller 28, a playerdisplay 22, such as a display or touch screen via a display adapter, aplayer input interface 26, which may include one or more controllers andassociated player input or devices such as a keyboard, mouse,WiFi/cellular radios, touchscreen, microphone/speakers and the like, andmay be closely coupled to the I/O controller 28, fixed storage 23, suchas a hard drive, flash storage, Fibre Channel network, SAN device, SCSIdevice, and the like, and a removable media component 25 operative tocontrol and receive an optical disk, flash drive, and the like.

The bus 21 allows data communication between the central processor 24and the memory 27, which may include read-only memory (ROM) or flashmemory (neither shown), and random access memory (RAM) (not shown), aspreviously noted. The RAM can include the main memory into which theoperating system and application programs are loaded. The ROM or flashmemory can contain, among other code, the Basic Input-Output system(BIOS) which controls basic hardware operation such as the interactionwith peripheral components. Applications resident with the computer 20can be stored on and accessed via a computer readable medium, such as ahard disk drive (e.g., fixed storage 23), an optical drive, floppy disk,or other storage medium 25.

The fixed storage 23 may be integral with the computer 20 or may beseparate and accessed through other interfaces. A network interface 29may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a telephone link,to the Internet via an internet service provider (ISP), or a directconnection to a remote server via a direct network link to the Internetvia a POP (point of presence) or other technique. The network interface29 may provide such connection using wireless techniques, includingdigital cellular telephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data(CDPD) connection, digital satellite data connection or the like. Forexample, the network interface 29 may allow the computer to communicatewith other computers via one or more local, wide-area, or othernetworks, as shown in FIG. 2.

Many other devices or components (not shown) may be connected in asimilar manner (e.g., document scanners, digital cameras and so on).Conversely, all of the components shown in FIG. 1 need not be present topractice the present disclosure. The components can be interconnected indifferent ways from that shown. The operation of a computer such as thatshown in FIG. 1 is readily known in the art and is not discussed indetail in this application. Code to implement the present disclosure canbe stored in computer-readable storage media such as one or more of thememory 27, fixed storage 23, removable media 25, or on a remote storagelocation.

FIG. 2 shows an example network arrangement according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter. One or more clients 10,11, such as smart power devices, microcomputers, local computers, smartphones, tablet computing devices, and the like may connect to otherdevices via one or more networks 7 (e.g., a power distribution network).The network may be a local network, wide-area network, the Internet, orany other suitable communication network or networks, and may beimplemented on any suitable platform including wired and/or wirelessnetworks. The clients may communicate with one or more servers 13 and/ordatabases 15. The devices may be directly accessible by the clients 10,11, or one or more other devices may provide intermediary access such aswhere a server 13 provides access to resources stored in a database 15.The clients 10, 11 also may access remote platforms 17 or servicesprovided by remote platforms 17 such as cloud computing arrangements andservices. The remote platform 17 may include one or more servers 13and/or databases 15.

More generally, various implementations of the presently disclosedsubject matter may include or be implemented in the form ofcomputer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing thoseprocesses. Implementations also may be implemented in the form of acomputer program product having computer program code containinginstructions implemented in non-transitory and/or tangible media, suchas floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, USB (universal serial bus)drives, or any other machine readable storage medium, wherein, when thecomputer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, thecomputer becomes an apparatus for practicing implementations of thedisclosed subject matter. Implementations also may be implemented in theform of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storagemedium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted oversome transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling,through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein when thecomputer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, thecomputer becomes an apparatus for practicing implementations of thedisclosed subject matter. When implemented on a general-purposemicroprocessor, the computer program code segments configure themicroprocessor to create specific logic circuits. In someconfigurations, a set of computer-readable instructions stored on acomputer-readable storage medium may be implemented by a general-purposeprocessor, which may transform the general-purpose processor or a devicecontaining the general-purpose processor into a special-purpose deviceconfigured to implement or carry out the instructions. Implementationsmay be implemented using hardware that may include a processor, such asa general purpose microprocessor and/or an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC) that implements all or part of the techniquesaccording to implementations of the disclosed subject matter in hardwareand/or firmware. The processor may be coupled to memory, such as RAM,ROM, flash memory, a hard disk or any other device capable of storingelectronic information. The memory may store instructions adapted to beexecuted by the processor to perform the techniques according toimplementations of the disclosed subject matter.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific implementations. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit implementations of the disclosed subject matter to the preciseforms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in viewof the above teachings. The implementations were chosen and described inorder to explain the principles of implementations of the disclosedsubject matter and their practical applications, to thereby enableothers skilled in the art to utilize those implementations as well asvarious implementations with various modifications as may be suited tothe particular use contemplated.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: identifying, by aserver, a first plurality of electronic devices as being associated witha first media group and a second plurality of electronic devices asbeing associated with a second media group; providing, from the serverand via a network, a first media content to the first plurality ofelectronic devices associated with the first media group and a secondmedia content to the second plurality of electronic devices associatedwith the second media group; receiving, at the server and via thenetwork, at least one first preference indicator that is a selection ofa first position on a first media rank bar from at least one of thefirst plurality of electronic devices associated with the first mediagroup and at least one second preference indicator that is a selectionof a second position on a second media rank bar from at least one of thesecond plurality of electronic devices associated with the second mediagroup; receiving, at the server and via the network, a third preferenceindicator that is a selection of a third position on a third media rankbar from an electronic device unassociated with and that does notparticipate in, at a time of a receipt of the third preferenceindicator, the first media group and the second media group; applying apreference indicator weight to at least one of the at least one firstpreference indicator, the at least one second preference indicator, orthe third preference indicator, wherein the preference indicator weightis based on a user type selected from the group consisting of: a host, aguest, a tastemaker, an active user, and a passive user; determining, bythe server, that a preference indicator threshold has been met byreceipt of at least one of the at least one first preference indicator,the at least one second preference indicator, or the third preferenceindicator that has been weighted by the preference indicator weight; andperforming, by the server, a media action based on a determination thatthe preference indicator threshold has been met, including decreasing aranking of the first media content or the second media content, so thatthe first media content or the second media content is less likely to beprovided to other media groups when a skip preference indicator has metthe preference indicator threshold.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: associating, by the server, a financial value with the firstmedia content; and modifying, by the server, the preference indicatorthreshold based on the financial value.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the preference indicator threshold is generated based on a typeof the first media content.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thepreference indicator threshold is generated based on a sponsorshipfactor.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein a geographic location of theat least one of the first plurality of electronic devices is associatedwith at least one selected from the group consisting of: a user, a groupof users, and a location associated with the first media content.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one first preference indicatoris one selected from the group consisting of: a skip, a keep, and a nullindicator.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one firstpreference indicator is based on a user intensity associated with thefirst media content.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the userintensity is either a positive intensity or a negative intensity.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the server, thata geographic location where the first media content was producedcorresponds to a geographic location of the at least one of the firstplurality of electronic devices.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining, by the server, that the first media content isassociated with a sponsorship; and producing, by the server, amodification of the preference indicator threshold based on adetermination that the first media content is associated with thesponsorship; wherein the modification increases a skip quantity of thepreference indicator threshold when the first media content isassociated with the sponsorship and decreases the skip quantity when thefirst media content is associated with licensing fees.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the receiving the third preference indicator comprisesreceiving, via an interface, the third preference indicator from a medialibrary associated with the electronic device unassociated, at the timeof the receipt of the third preference indicator, with the first mediagroup and the second media group.
 12. A system comprising: a processorconfigured to: identify a first plurality of electronic devices as beingassociated with a first media group and a second plurality of electronicdevices as being associated with a second media group; provide, via anetwork, a first media content to the first plurality of electronicdevices associated with the first media group and a second media contentto the second plurality of electronic devices associated with the secondmedia group; receive, via the network, at least one first preferenceindicator that is a selection of a first position on a first media rankbar from at least one of the first plurality of electronic devicesassociated with the first media group and at least one second preferenceindicator that is a selection of a second position on a second mediarank bar from at least one of the second plurality of electronic devicesassociated with the second media group; receive, via the network, athird preference indicator that is a third selection of a third positionon a third media rank bar from an electronic device unassociated withand that does not participate in, at a time of a receipt of the thirdpreference indicator, the first media group and the second media group;apply a preference indicator weight to at least one of the at least onefirst preference indicator, the at least one second preferenceindicator, or the third preference indicator, wherein the preferenceindicator weight is based on a user type selected from the groupconsisting of: a host, a guest, a tastemaker, an active user, and apassive user; determine that a preference indicator threshold has beenmet by receipt of at least one of the at least one first preferenceindicator, the at least one second preference indicator, or the thirdpreference indicator that has been weighted by the preference indicatorweight; and perform a media action based on a determination that thepreference indicator threshold has been met, including decreasing aranking of the first media content or the second media content, so thatthe first media content or the second media content is less likely to beprovided to other media groups when a skip preference indicator has metthe preference indicator threshold.
 13. The system of claim 12, furtherconfigured to: associate a financial value with the first media content;and modify the preference indicator threshold based on the financialvalue.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the preference indicatorthreshold is generated based on a type of the first media content. 15.The system of claim 12, wherein the preference indicator threshold isgenerated based on a sponsorship factor.
 16. The system of claim 12,wherein a geographic location of the at least one of the first pluralityof electronic devices is associated with at least one selected from thegroup consisting of: a user, a group of users, and a location associatedwith the first media content.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the atleast one first preference indicator is one selected from the groupconsisting of: a skip, a keep, and a null indicator.
 18. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one first preference indicator is basedon a user intensity associated with the first media content.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the user intensity is either a positiveintensity or a negative intensity.